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Paul Pensabene..., January 20, 2004,
Must Read For those in or contemplating the Consulting Business as a career move
Mr.Goodman does an excellent job of calling attention to key concentrations in the consulting business. This is a must - reading for those that have just entered,or contemplating, the consulting business or are in-between jobs. The reading is easy and cuts right to the chase. As a marketing executive that has just entered the consulting business, I have found this book to be my reference and standard. The author starts by setting points that help determine whether consulting is the right career choice for the reader. He does an meaningful and excellent job of presenting a straight forward methodology of understanding the interaction with a client, taking you through a project and into writing the proposal with a template that is unmatched. The clear and concise way Mr.Goodman has written his book, has helped me organize my thinking and myself. By using the template as he has presented I was able to write a consulting proposal that blew my competition away.

Paul Pensabene
Marketplace Solutions and Consulting Group
Holbrook, NY

This is a "must read" book for anyone considering the consulting business or for those already in it looking to increase their success. It's an easy reading book, well laid out and gets right to the issues you need to understand about consulting, the pitfalls and how to market yourself. For those who think consulting is an easy or fill-in career between jobs, Mike doesn't pull any punches in describing the difficulties involved in being successful in the consulting business.

I am a technical support consultant for personal computers and I had been billing my time out by the hour. This book pointed out that anyone selling their time rather than their talent is just selling a commodity. I took a look at the type of services I provide and realized that I was under pricing my highly technical expertise and not charging at all for a lot of job related items such as travel and purchasing hardware and software items. I completely revised my price list commensurate with the degree of technical difficulty involved and I am now commanding a premium for my services.

Thank you Rasputin and Mike Goodman!

Marty Roth, Principal
Incon Research, Inc.
INCONnecticut Computer Help

I'm one of the consultants interviewed by Goodman when he was writing "Rasputin for Hire". I was pleased to see how my remarks and comments were compiled into the book. While I thought the idea behind the book was a good one when he told me about it, upon reading it, the information and advice became more even more useful. The "26 lessons" are most interesting and very appropriate for virtually all consultants. If you've ever thought about consulting, been a consultant or hired or worked with one, you'd find this book an invaluable read. It's a great book, easy to read, with lots of valuable information. I highly recommend it!

No book of the Bible so clearly calls for a women's commentary than the Book of Ruth. Not only are the two central characters both women, but their relationship is the engine which drives the plot and is what accounts for much of our affection for the book. Reading Ruth, edited by Judith Kates and Gail Twersky Reimer is so successful that no one wanting modern views of this book can ignore it.
It begins with the Hebrew text of Ruth, plus the JPS translation, followed by a commentary on selected verses by Ruth Sohn, which sometimes focuses on midrash or spiritual implications of the verse
Next is the heart of the book, 7 sections, each anchored to a single verse. Some are familiar ("For whereever you will go, I will go ....") And others puzzling ("A son is born to Naomi" --- when the son was actually born to Ruth). For each, there are 2-4 essays that deal, in some way, with that verse.
These vary widely; there is no set of controlling parameters for this book. Aviva Zornberg is quite traditional, delving into midrash in a wide ranging attempt to fundamentally characterize the actions of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz. Rebecca Albert is utterly radical, presenting lesbian readings on the relationship of Ruth and Naomi and uses of the story ("less plausible midrashim have been accepted throughout the ages" she notes). Vanessa Ochs expresses her disappointment that Ruth seems to be almost erased: "Is this the Book of Ruth or is it the Book of Naomi?" Looking at the end, she decides it's neither --- the genealogy seems to obliterate all the women. Nehama Aschkenasy has a careful look at how women use language to create a form of power. Marianne Hirsch focuses on this rarity in western literature, such a strong bond between a woman and her mother-in law, bringing in her own positive relationship with mother-in-law. Patricia Karlin-Neumann draws a similarity between Job and Naomi, in how their suffering produces isolation.
And if you were to sample just one essay, read Gail Twersky Reimer's "Her Mother's House". Working purely with the text --- no midrash --- she presents Ruth as establishing another model of "woman's relationship to motherhood" --- Ruth as a woman who doesn't particularly want children, but has one anyhow. Skillfully drawing both on things mentioned (Naomi becoming the foster mother) and things unsaid (there is no mention of Ruth suffering as a result of about 10 years of childless marriage), she makes a compelling case for this reading, contrasting Ruth with Naomi's intense preoccupation with children.
Also included is a short and fairly intense play, based on a women's discussion group focussing on the Book of Ruth, six "poetic movements" and some lovely woodcuts (complete with explanations!). Alas, no index.
This book sets an extraordinary standard for an anthology of commentary on a single book.

The Book of Ruth is familiar to most of us- we traditionally read it during Shavuot. On the surface Ruth is a pleasant story of a young woman who returns to Israel with her mother-in-law after the deaths of thier husbands. But the very simplicity of the story raises many questions. Until this collection of midrashim - interpertations and extentions of the story to fill in the gaps- that is where the matter lay. Now is it possible to read what contemporary well educated women think about this story and the questions raised. If you've never studied a Midrash, this is a good place to begin. If you have studied Midrashim, you will see how different the prespectives are in this book. Other writings on Ruth are both very old and written exclusively by men. This book is a must for anyone who enjoys studying and values a full perspective.

Have you ever read Jewish midrash? How about midrash written by women? Here is an exciting new style/genre of biblical interpretation, which has been developing over the last decade or so. Previously midrash had been written only by men, excluding women's voices. At last women have entered this world, as the introduction says, to "create a room of our own in the house of study." READING RUTH includes 30 wonderful, loving, powerful, essays, each by a different author with a different viewpoint, including women rabbis, teachers, poets and storytellers. Each midrash is a jewel providing a string of jewels for meditation, like a rosary. What makes midrash so unique is that it allows for a creative interpretion, including the development of new folklore, new imaginings of what is possible for the Ruth story. It fills in places in the text where the story suggests these possibilities. For instance the landscape on the road to Bethlehem, or the festivities at the threshing floor. It adds the thoughts, emotions and inner workings in the minds of the characters that hinted in their words. READING RUTH is a marvelous place to begin or expand the study of Ruth, of midrash, of women's biblical commentary, and is highly recommended.

I already owned this book, but I recently purchased it for a friend of mine who is about to have a baby. She chose "John Lennon's Musical Parade" for her nursery theme, a line of baby products based on this loving collaboration between John Lennon and his young son Sean; she had never seen the actual drawings and I wanted her to know where those images of animals and musical notes came from. The book is endearing and simple, revealing Lennon's creativity with words ("A turtle winning by a hare" under a drawing of a turtle and a rabbit; "A bird bath" under a picture of a bird in in the rain). In the short introduction, Yoko explains that Sean came up with some of the titles himself. All in all, a wonderful book for children, fans of John Lennon, and adults who are young at heart.

I bought this book, while researching for a play "John Lennon and Me". This book is really cute, colorful, and VERY enjoyable. Not only did I enjoy it, but the cast of the play also enjoyed it as well, young and old, we all liked it. John Lennon's play on words is great. The captions are simple, but perfect. I would recomend this for any John Lennon fan, or just any one looking for a sweet/cute children's book.

I love this book and even though some may not agree with what I'm doing with it, it turned out to be a great idea. The drawings are perfect for a baby's room so what I've done is taken the drawings in the book and framed them to make a border for our baby's bedroom. The captions at the bottom of each page are perfect and simple and relay a wonderful message. I was never a fan of the Beatles or John Lennon for that matter, but this book really caught my eye and I couldn't resist it.

This is my third year to read "Reliving the Passion". It is pure poetry at its finest and Walter Wangerin Jr. transports you back to the days leading up to and through the Passion. Add this book to you library and make it a tradition each year at Lent. Also check out his book for Advent!

Dying to live. Won't you join the journey? Wangerin puts us into the journey to Golgotha and beyond.

Kurt Pearson

Wangerin's writing style is so refreshing - it brings the story of Christ to life in a new and exciting way. The emotive writing style draws you in as the reader and you cannot put the book away - I read and re-read the crucifixion chapters and came away almost breathless with a renewed sense of what Christ went through for me! The cast of characters that were involved also come to life with all the passion and "realness" of that day.

This book is many things: a history on the conservation movement in Michigan, a glimpse into the politics of the environment, and more. But as a whole one is most astounded by the sheer number of people throughout Michigan's history who have made a difference for their state's natural resources. It's easy to let the environmental movement be seen these days as the sole domain of liberal soccer moms. Far from true, it has been both Democrats and Republicans, animal lovers and hunters, farmers and urbanites, and men and women who have all made a collective big difference. The movement belongs to no one alone.

The book's rich history and insight serve as a subtle reminder that the environment really can be a nonpartisan issue after all, and after finishing the book you're definitely left with the sense that it will be again. An excellent and informative read.

Dempsey is an activist affiliated with MUCC, Michigan United Conservation Clubs. He assigned himself the task of writing a comprehensive history of conservation and environmental politics in the Wolverine State. His title is apt: the overall trend is indeed ruin and then recovery. Ruin began with over-trapping for pelts, for fish, for copper, for iron, and for timber. The recovery was painful and required a different attitude toward resources and the vulnerability of nature. Only one governor gets his nod as a champion of the environment, viz. William G. Milliken, and no others. We are presently is a third wave of reexploitation under John Engler. We are slipping back into bad habits of allowing pollution-by-dilution. Then why did he did he use the subtitle of "Michigan's Rise as a Conservation Leader"? Because of advocacy by interest groups and individuals ranging from Thomas Anderson to Mark Wycoff and from Audubon to EMEAC and WMEAC. Some corporations come in for positive evaluation. Such as Herman Miller Company of Zeeland. The overall story is not presented in black and white, but is subtle and recognizes the role of current culture. The vignettes of conservation-leaders including Thomas L. Washington, of his own group, are balanced. The documentation is superb and is informed by -Aldo Leopold, Dunbar, Catton and especially Sam Hayes. Criticisms include no maps, a Lower Peninsula bias and listing only one web site. Topics not covered include the Rouge River cleanup, NAFTA and incoming garbage, deep-well injection, nuclear energy mishaps, acid rain, slant drilling, and mine-exit strategy and the Seney National WLP. The book covers new ground, is competently researched, interesting and relevant, a model for other state case studies. The hard-back copy belongs in every public library as a compliment to Dunbar's state history and Lawrence Sommer's State of Michigan geography.

Dempsey's highly readable history of Michigan's environmental ups and downs is an excellent motivator. He shows us vivid examples of how the short term economics of business will harvest a resource until it is gone; cut down every tree and catch every whitefish. His reporting shows how industrial companies will dump their waste on anyone who is unaware or unconcerned (remember PBBs, PCBs, mercury and Dioxin?). He also shows us how concerned, active people have successfully fought and won battle after battle with political machines, unconcerned companies and unaware publics. Without these peoples' efforts we would have dirtier air, fouler water and an alphabet soup of contamination. Dempsey also gives us a good outline of the currently critical environmental issues of ecosystem preservation and land use planning. If you want to be motivated and and to feel that you can be part of a solution, this book is for you.

Also, if you want to know what to look for in your cantidates for political office Dempsey's information about Milliken, Blanchard and Engler is, alone, worth the price of the book.

For me, this book became a significant eye and heart opener to a Christian worldview for missions and caring for missionaries. It not only served me in understanding and becoming a better sender, but as a cared for goer. There is no legitimate reason the church sends missionaries as "disposables," when they are in reality as much part of the church body in the field as when they are at home.

Sending means Caring, before, during and after a missionary goes to the field. This book is a classic in understanding and putting into practice this principle as we go and make disciples.

A great book for a mission's team in a sending church. This is must reading before your missionary returns home. How can you best meet their needs and understand their thinking if you have never been out of the country? This book will open up your thinking to missions as never before!

"Serving as Senders" is an important book for churches and individuals serious about missions work.

Pirolo outlines for readers the need for senders... those who suppport missionaries here at home. He then gives practical reasons and ways we can help. Chapters include:

* Moral support

* Logistics support

* Financial support

* Prayer support

* Communication support

* Re-entry support

This book can be used as a guide as you look at your church's missions program, or as you evaluate your own skills and gifts.

Missionaries are a long way from home, loved ones, and things which are familiar. They are gone from a church they believe is behind them. Their needs are great, and we have the resources. How do we help them?

When I bought this book at a local church's missions week, I thought I understood what the concept of sending was all about. Now I see it not just as an occasional thing, but a ministry in itself.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl

Naturalists is perhaps too narrow a word choice for the one hundred contributors to this anthology; I suspect only a few would use that word when describing themselves. Their ages span more than a century, so the style of writing varies widely, but each has something quite special to share with a reader looking for a few moments of luminousness or quiet revelation in the midst of a busy day.
Here's one of my favorite bits, and I'm paraphrasing: Men climb mountains to conquer them; women climb mountains to go deeper within themselves, to feel a oneness with nature. When I read that, I lifted my eyes from the page, stared at the horizon and thought how much more poetic and truthful that is than the usual Mars/Venus type of comparison.
Contributors range from regionalist Sarah Orne Jewett to internationalist Diane Ackerman; there are African Americans, Native Americans, Jews, Catholics, mystics, and poets among this mix, with plenty of boundary crossing.
Very lovely. Not, I believe, a book meant to be read cover to cover. Rather, let it rest beside your favorite reading chair or at your bedside, and read a few entries now and then at random. I think you'll be charmed, as I was.

I found a lot more than I'd expected in this book. The editor obviously put a lot of thought into her selection of authors and passages from their works. It seemed to me as if these were the passages I would have marked for rereading had I read those works myself. Pretty much every selection struck me as being beautifully inspirational, poetic, or otherwise moving. I'd forgotten how much simply reading about nature can do to lift and heal the spirit. I also learned a lot: I was unaware that so many women have been writing about nature for so many years -- and it was sobering to realize that much of what the earlier authors wrote about no longer exists in our world today.

The author bios themselves make for fascinating reading. (You can't help but wonder how your own life would be summed up in a paragraph or two.) And of course, as I'd expect from any good anthology, this collection inspired me to add quite a few items to my "to-read" list. The nearly 40-page bibliography includes very helpful summaries, and lists not just the sources of this anthology's selections but many other works as well.

Whatever you might expect from Sisters of the Earth, I doubt you'll be disappointed. There should be something in it for everyone -- and it's a pretty book that would make a great gift.

I have found this book to be wonderful in the growth process of the spirit. A truly marvelous piece of work, a compilation that is worth a second volume, indeed. This is a perfect "anytime" gift, to your self as well as others that are journeying the spirit.

I first read this book when I was quite young, in Junior High school I believe. I am now 42 years old. I read it again in my twenties. It has been awhile since I read it but I still remember its magic. This book has two identities. It is of course about snakes and their captive environment. Though outdated it is still full of interesting tid-bits about snake care and behavior. The second identity of this book is more like a novel, especially to a youngster interested in snakes. Each chapter is full of adventure and the experiences of the author. It is well written in that you almost feel like you are in his boots when he catches and cares for his reptiles. Each page excites you to read the next. This is a fun book for anyone who enjoys snakes and snake hunting. I also highly recommend it for helping to teach a youngster the joy of reading due to its well-written novel type style and its interesting topic. It is also a wonderful book for any adult who wants to reminisce about a carefree youth or revisit childhood interests. I will always keep a copy of this gem in on my bookshelf. It's about time I read it again.

I thought this book was out of print and have been hording it jealously. I bought it orginally as a reference to help me as a novice snake owner, but I found the information facinating and gained a knowledge and love for snakes that I would never have expected. I will be thrilled to tell my friend whose kids just bought a snake that this treasure is available.

In my own extensive, lifetime herpetological library, this book rates as my favorite, and one of the best general works on reptile husbandry available anywhere. It is THE perfect snake book for the young herpetologist or adult collector new to the hobby. I used to run into Carl every so often while snakehunting in the Carolinas in my youth, and he was as wonderful a person as he was a top curator. His writings about snakehunting in "the old days" is as fascinating for the casual reader as for the experienced herp. This book was probably his best work, and years ago I paid nearly twice this price in an auction for an original copy.

Karen Wiesner writes effortlessly and compellingly, pulling the reader along with Rain as she struggles to be her own person and make her own path in life. Restless as Rain is a unique look at the timelessness of romance. Quite enjoyable."

~ Affaire de Coeur, February 1999

"A creative plot--full of conflict and energy. It shows the drive, talent and the compassion of human emotion while allowing storytelling to continue."

~ Romance Communications

"This is a nice, light romance with well-developed characters and a satisfying ending. You'll enjoy seeing how Rain reconciles her desire for a future with her need to escape her past."

~ Inscriptions

The Snake is a well written, well illustrated guide to snakes. It contains many excellent hints on caring for these interesting reptiles. My only concern is the section on snake evolution. As Frank notes, we have no meaningful fossil record in spite of looking for 150 years, but the reason why is not because snake skeletons are very delicate, as Frank claims. The conditions and environment of fossilization are far more important than the bone density in determining preservation (see T. H. Worthy; Lost World of the Moa; Prehistoric Life in New Zealand). Bird fossils are very common and they are usually even less dense than snake bones! Also, the speculation that snakes are distantly related to Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops is pure guesswork (page 17). We have no empirical evidence to back this up. Many theories of snake evolution exist and several of these should be discussed, such as symbiosis and even panspermia. The fact is, we have no evidence about where snakes came from. Therefore, all existing theories are just so stories. Unfortunately, we scientists loose credibility with the public when we engage in speculation without clearly labeling it as such. To speculate is fine, just make it clear that you are doing so. To his credit, Frank did note the ideas on snake evolution he covered are speculation by using such words as "are believed" or "probably" but he should have stressed the fact is, we do not know where snakes came from.

My seven year old son is getting a snake for his birthday. We borrowed this book from a friend. He is reading it cover to cover. It is providing both of us with all the practical info on what to get (snake and accessories) and how to care for your pet snake. An indispensible guide for a soon-to-be snake owner.

This book is a grreat book if you are interested in getting a snake, but don't know how to start. It tells you the best beginner snakes, the worst ones, snake do's and don'ts, and all the infromation a new herper would need. Although not the best book for experienced herpers, it can still be used as a reference for most. This is the best book I've read for selecting your snake and getting started on the care and maintenance.